Touring Spirits
by stella-ella-eh-eh
Summary: Lucy Weasley is not a detective. However, when her cousin Al and a group from his wizarding school in New Mexico turn up at Hogwarts, things start going a little haywire. Rivalry, romance and a bit of intrigue one might expect, but a mysterious beast on a murderous rampage is a bit much. And Lucy is soon to discover that that's just the tip of the iceburg.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The red-tailed hawk and the frying pan

"Bloody hell, Albus Potter, you absolute prat."

"You know, speaking to people who aren't there is a sign of batshit crazy," a voice behind Lucy said conversationally. She turned around sheepishly to face her cousin James, who snatched the crumpled letter out of her hands and began to read out loud.

" 'Dearest, charmingest, least irritating cousin of mine – hope all is well at the Burrow. I'm very sad to be missing all the shenanigans the lot of you must be getting up to. I hope Grandma and Grandpa's anniversary was great and James and Fred didn't do anything too horrendous to Molly…' That's unfair," interjected James. "We only changed the scent of her shampoo to hippogriff and locked her date in the bathroom." He resumed reading the letter. " 'I mainly wanted to write to rub in your face that I know a big FAT secret that's going to affect you all. Don't worry, I won't tell. Lots of love, Al.' Blimey, he owled all the way from America just to do that? Absolute prat, I agree with you."

Lucy nodded vigorously. "And he sent _that, _which I'm pretty sure wants to eat Mr. Steggles." She was pointing at the large beady-eyed red-tailed hawk sitting grandly on the owl perch by the sink. It was eying the Weasley's ageing and diminutive pygmy owl with interest. Mr. Steggles cowered.

"Ah well," James said, mock-heavily. "He's not long for this world, is he, Mr. Steggles? Just one long journey and a heavy letter away from ploncking straight into the North-" He was interrupted by a strong biff to the back of the head by his cousin Roxy, who had just entered the kitchen. "Don't talk about Steggles that way," she admonished, crossing the room and pulling him out of beak's reach from the hawk. James rubbed his head, glaring. Roxy had a strong arm and a non-discriminatory use of her talents.

Lucy snatched her letter back and re-read it, tuning out the squabbling of her cousins. Every time Al left for the Southwestern Institute of Wizarding and Shamanic Studies, the boarding school he attended in New Mexico, he loved to owl back with exotic birds of prey, bragging about his adventures (which mainly involved things like eating a scorpion for a dare). Al had chosen to transfer overseas for school after second year rather than staying at Hogwarts, a decision that was becoming more and more common among wizarding children, especially those with an affluent family and a sense of adventure, like Albus. Dominique, on the other hand, had spent her first several years at Beauxbatons like her mother before transferring to Hogwarts. Roxy still liked to blame the 'new girl syndrome' for Dominique's popularity and allure for the male sex, resolutely choosing to ignore their cousin's lethal veela good looks. Everyone else had stuck with Hogwarts except for Hugo, who went to the Salem Witches' Institute. This had inevitably led to many cruel jokes from James and Fred about him being a witch, despite the school being co-ed. But Al had been overseas for a month already, unlike the rest of the Potter-Weasley clan, who were cooped up in the Burrow together for Molly and Arthur's anniversary. How had he managed to find out a secret that the rest of them didn't know? Bizarre.

Lucy pulled out of her reverie just in time to see Roxy brandishing a pan dangerously near to James' head, who was shouting "Well I'll tell Aunt Angelina about you snogging Professor Leonard!"

"Oh please, he was a teaching _assistant. _He still had spots, for christ's sake," Roxy retorted, but she had paled at the mention of her mother and paused in her pursuit with the frying pan.

Lucy decided not to get involved, instead grabbing some biscuits and her copy of _North and South _off the kitchen counter and heading up to the room she shared with her sister Molly, desperately hoping it would be unoccupied. Normally she loved to involve herself in James and Roxy's petty fights. The two were endlessly entertaining when they tried to kill each other, and they were, alongside Albus, her favorite of her cousins.

She'd been out of sorts all day, however. It'd started with the slew of mail that had arrived that morning – seven matching brown owls with seven Hogwarts letters, one each for Lucy, Roxy, James, Rose, Louis, Lily, and Dominique. All the letters gave the typical lists of new textbooks, while James' revealed he'd also been made Gryffindor quidditch captain (unsurprising, as he'd inherited his namesake's skills at chasing). Rose and Roxy's letters had also been a bit heavier, delivering shining new prefects badges. Rose looked extremely pleased, while Roxy was mainly shocked. A girl who had been regularly caught out of bed after hours with 7th year quidditch captains wasn't normally prefect material. Lucy hadn't been surprised though – Roxy was very clever and had a commanding presence, which Flitwick must've envisaged putting to the good of controlling first years, rather than the morally ambiguous ways Roxy normally used it.

Her own letter had been empty of any badges, which had given her only a sense of relief. She wasn't the cleverest Hufflepuff in her year, and she'd been caught in the forbidden forest too many times to be held as a paragon of rule-abiding. It had, however, hurt to see the severe disappointment in her father's eyes. She also thought his eyeballs would about burst out his head when her uncle George had laughingly clapped him on the shoulder and exclaimed "who'duh thunk it, Perce, my kid a prefect and you get the rule breaker! I'm a little disappointed, Rox, but at least Fred wasn't head boy by a long shot." George then swept the laughing Roxy up into a hug, while Lucy and her father had stood awkwardly aside. Percy avoided Lucy's eyes, instead intently watching his elder daughter Molly as she passed on her head girl knowledge to Rose, who listened keenly to the best places to catch third years out of bed. Lucy rolled her eyes and crossed the kitchen to join Fred and James, who clapped her on the back and congratulated her on joining the lay-folk. "To the rule breakers! The differently minded! The unusually-talented! The atypically-witted! We may not have many O.W.L.S but we have heart! We have gumption! Sass! God damn it, we got real grit!" James had inexplicably slipped into a Texan accent. Lucy smiled at her cousins. She'd rather end up like James and Fred than her uptight sister any day. Then James had over-gesticulated and accidentally punched Fred in the eye, and Lucy deemed it time to escape. But her father's expression as she left the room had weighed a bit on her all day.

Just as the unpleasant thought of parental expectations revisited her, Lucy heard the last thing she wanted to hear. Creeping past her parent's room she head her name, and paused against her better judgement.

"But Audrey, she just has no direction!" Her father's voice was agitated, opposite to the curt tone he used in any other social interaction. "Come on Perce, she's sixteen. You need to stop comparing her to Molly. Or to your siblings' kids, for that matter." Her mother sounded tired.

"But just look at Molly! Perfect grades, perfect ministry career, probably going to marry that Davies boy, very good family, and smart – where did we go wrong with Lucy?" Percy paused only to draw breath, cutting across his wife to continue, "and how on earth did Ron and George end up with prefects? They were _nightmares _at school!"

"PERCY. LISTEN." Audrey sounded frustrated now. "Stop. We are not always who we were at school. And our children are not us."

Her father sounded deflated now. "I know. I just don't know what to do with her."

At last Lucy shook herself and continued up the stairs, teeth clenched. She and her father had never been that close. It was a blessing and a curse, having such a large family. She was spoilt for choices when it came to father figures, and she had excellent relationships with all her uncles. But somewhere along the way her relationship with her own dad had fallen by the wayside.

She violently kicked her way into her shared bedroom, where Molly looked up grumpily from painting her nails. "What's eating you?" she asked, but Lucy just flopped on her bed and buried her head in a pillow. Her perfect sister, head girl, quidditch captain, and now future perfect bride and ministry department head, was absolutely the last person she wanted to talk to. Instead she busied herself with opening _North and South_ and tucking into her stolen biscuits. Chocolate and a dreamy Victorian love interest were definitely enough to set her right.


	2. Chapter 2: Badges and Molly Ringwald

Chapter 2: Badges and Molly Ringwald

Roxy always felt that her family's yearly arrival at Kings Cross was probably something akin to a large, motley, and fairly inbred clan of wildebeest arriving at a waterhole in the middle of the African Sahara. For the amount of pushing, squealing, and panicked admonitions, you'd think half of them had never seen a train before. As usual, once they all made it through the barrier, factions started to peel off one by one. Louis, always cool, gave perfunctory hugs to his family before quickly joining his boyfriend Lysander and the rest of their artsy fifth-year friends. Rose, already wearing her Hogwarts robes and her new prefect badge, ran to hug her friends from Ravenclaw. James struggled against his mother, who was trying fruitlessly to tame his hair. A couple feet away Lucy was sharing stilted goodbyes with her parents and sister, and a very nervous looking Teddy was deep in conversation with Harry. Teddy was starting his first year of teaching Transfiguration, but he looked like he simply wanted to transfigure himself into a flower-pot and never move from that spot.

Roxy glanced up at her brother Fred, who smiled a bit sadly and squeezed her tightly. It was his first year to not be getting on the train himself, and Roxy could tell he was already getting reminiscent. "You give 'em hell Rox. Just 'cause you're a prefect now doesn't mean you're allowed to shirk the family duty. Make mischief first, ask questions later."

"Yep," said her father from behind him, coming in to claim his goodbye hug. "It's better to ask for forgiveness than permission, I always say. Have a wonderful year, Rox."

After saying goodbye to her parents and sundry other relatives, Roxy dragged her trunk onto the train and began to search for a compartment. She was soon joined by a disgruntled looking Lucy and James, who was ruefully messing his hair back up again. The three of them located an empty compartment, though James disappeared soon enough when one of his seventh-year friends dropped by and mentioned a poisonous salamander someone had brought back from the holidays. He was immediately replaced by the appearance of Roxy and Lucy's best friends, fellow sixth-years Lorcan Scamander and Stella Woodward. Reunions for the four of them tended to be quite loud and a tad dangerous, mainly because Roxy was enthusiastic and not entirely in control of her limbs.

Lorcan was incredibly different from his stylish, aloof, popular and attractively brooding younger brother Lysander. Lorcan was quiet and literary, with the same flyaway blonde hair and faraway expression as his mother. With his loud and excitable friends it was easy for him to stay quiet when he wanted to, but he wasn't always as lost in thought as he looked, which made for excellent eavesdropping. As a great appreciator of the Hogwarts gossip mill, Roxy would be lost without Lorcan's ability to overhear things. People just took him for granted.

Stella, on the other hand, couldn't be taken for granted if she tried. And she did try. She didn't sit comfortably at the center of attention in the way Roxy, or even Lucy did. But people were attracted to her because she was beautiful in that simple, pure way of a Pre-Raphaelite model, with long wavy blonde hair and soft eyes. She was also terribly clever and unfailingly kind towards everyone. These three qualities were a lethal combination for those shy, quiet boys of Hogwarts, the kind intimidated by Roxy's frank sexuality or the aloof super-model quality of Dominique.

The four friends happily filled each other in on their lives – Lorcan had spent the entire summer hunting for a rare species of nargle in Scandinavia with his family. Roxy imagined Lorcan had probably spent the majority of the trip in a tent with his copy of the complete works of Victor Hugo. It was only after Stella had filled them all in on her summer working in her muggle mother's art gallery in Edinburgh that Roxy realized that she and Stella had prefect duties. They hastily changed into their robes and headed to the front of the train, leaving Lucy and Lorcan happily discussing muggle literature over chocolate frogs.

"And so that's when I said, 'If you can't appreciate the difference between Post-modern and Pop Art, then I absolutely cannot sell any art to you'. And I didn't!" finished Stella impressively as they strolled down the train.

"Wow, Stell. So did you find anyone qualified to-" Roxy started to respond but she stopped short as a hulking presence filled the corridor.

"Why, hello, Mulciber. You're looking large and in-charge today." Roxy smiled pleasantly up at him. Everett Mulciber gazed back down with a snide and predatory grin.

"Alright, Weasley? Woodward? Nice badges. What professors did you fuck to get those?"

_Here we go again, _thought Roxy. In the forward thinking society that was the Hogwarts student body, the fact that Roxy had dated more than one guy, and that Stella dated either gender, made them the whores of Babylon in the eyes of some open-minded individuals. But Roxy's smile didn't falter. "Oh I'm sorry, Everett, you disappointed you weren't made head boy? I don't think they're allowed to give it to half trolls though, you see it's an insurance liability, what with head boy having to be out unsupervised at night-"

"God, shut up Weasley. You're always trying to be funny just to cover up what a massive whore you are."

Stella looked up at him with concern. "Have you ever thought you might have been sorted into the wrong house? Because sometimes your behavior-" But Stella's thoughtful strain was broken by Mulciber shoving her up against the train wall. She'd clearly struck a nerve. "Hey!" shouted Roxy, starting towards him and pulling out her wand, but before she could do anything he stuck out an arm and casually knocked her off her feet, her wand skidding far down the train hallway. Mulciber laughed. "You two are just a couple little jumped up Hufflepuff sluts. Slufflepuffs." He was still chuckling at his joke when a wand appeared behind his ear.

"You know, all this chat about sluts and whores and hufflepuffs is a bit distasteful outside my compartment. If you're going to verbally abuse women, which I generally think is a bad choice, I'd rather you did it somewhere else, Mulciber." Scorpius Malfoy's drawl oozed sarcasm.

"Yeah… whatever Malfoy. We were just having a bit of banter." Mulciber grudgingly released Stella, who rubbed her arm ruefully and glared at him.

"Sure," responded Scorpius easily. "See you later Mulciber. Hate for you to be in detention for the next quidditch match, or you and Roxy here wouldn't be able to keep up your banterous relationship. Trying to knock her off her broom is the next step in a glorious friendship, right?"

Mulciber slouched off, looking confused. Roxy looked up at Scorpius in disbelief. "You know he and I are on the same team, right? Thanks for putting that into his head."

Scorpius shrugged. "At least he's channeling his rage into organized sport. Are you two ok?"

Roxy stopped herself from retorting that he seemed to have very muddled notions of the rules of quidditch, and instead said curtly, "Yes, we're fine, thanks. We were handling it." She expected him to pompously argue, but instead he shrugged his shoulders easily and said "Yeah I know. I just hate that guy. And I guess I am a prefect. Or whatever."

Roxy's eyebrows lifted. "Then weren't you supposed to be on patrol?" The corners of his mouth twitched. "I think you guys have it under control." He looked at her for a moment longer, then turned and re-entered his compartment.

Roxy stared after him, feeling a bit dazed. "Goodness," said Stella simply. "I think that's the most anyone's ever heard Scorpius Malfoy say, like, ever." It was true, Scorpius was definitely quiet. He attracted many girls through no fault of his own, but simply because they eagerly labeled him as 'brooding', like Heathcliff. Roxy figured he was probably a lot skinnier and more awkward than Heathcliff, and probably a lot less interested in necrophilia and animal abuse.

Roxy forced her brain to return to the moment at hand. "Yeah I know, weird." She responded. "You know what else is weird? Why does everyone always think I'm in Hufflepuff? Jesus."

"It's 'cause you're a big fat slut, haven't you heard?" Stella deadpanned. Roxy grinned. "Slufflepuff. That's a good one, I'll admit. I'm gonna start using that on Lucy." Stella launched into a debate about the relative merits of women 'reclaiming' offensive gendered terms for themselves versus shunning those terms because using them let men feel even more entitled to use them. Despite herself, Roxy was distracted by the disconcerting thought that Scorpius, who always came across as so quiet and detached, knew who she was. Why was she even thinking about this? Who was she, bloody Molly Ringwald? Of course he knew who she was. She was a Weasley, they were like an invasive species in a foreign ecosystem. She mentally shook herself, and was relieved when they finally arrived at Hogwarts.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Cockroach Clusters

Hogwarts Great Hall always felt smaller at the start of term feast. The buzz of the collective student body filled every crevice. Lucy, Stella and Lorcan said goodbye to Roxy, who headed off to sit with James at the Gryffindor table, then made their own way towards the Hufflepuff table at the other side of the room. The mere fact that Lucy had been sorted into Hufflepuff had been enough to give her father an aneurism.

The hall began to quiet as Professor Longbottom appeared with the usual small wooden stool and ancient ragged hat. Lucy smiled at the line of cowering eleven year-olds, trying to appear non-threatening. Next to her Lorcan tapped his fork impatiently – after five years of watching, the sorting became much less exciting than the sumptuous feast soon to follow. The first years were soon divvied up into the four houses, leaving a pair of dark-haired, terrified-looking twins sitting across from Stella and Lucy. Stella smiled weakly at them, but their matching stares continued and Stella's smile slid off her lips.

They were mercifully rescued from trying conversation next when Headmaster Flitwick stoop up on top of his chair and began to address the students. "Ahem!" His tiny voice struggled to command the crowd of students impatient for the feast. "Ahem! I know you're all eager for our delicious meal but I've got a few things to share first. I'd like to welcome our newest staff appointment. Professor Lupin here," Flitwick gestured grandly towards Teddy, who paled, "will be taking over transfiguration after Minerva McGonagall's retirement last year. I'm sure he'll fill her talented shoes grandly."

Lucy smiled and cheered with the rest of the students. She wasn't sure if it was because he was basically related to half the students or because he was much younger and handsomer than most new staff appointments, but he was getting a very enthusiastic reception, and the applause barely managed to suppress many stifled female giggles.

"I've got another very special announcement I'm sure you'll all be eager to hear," Flitwick continued, "This year Hogwarts will be playing host to some special new guests, a delegation of students from the distinguished Southwestern Institute of WIzarding and Shamanic Studies. This exchange is part of an ongoing effort to improve international wizarding relations and cross-cultural learning. Let's give them a warm welcome."

At this Flitwick gestured to the large wooden doors, which were flung open to reveal Hagrid leading a huddled group of figures wearing dark-blue robes. The Gowarts students began to clap as the group startd walking encertainly towards the staff table. Lucy, who had forgotten all about food moments into Flitwick's speech, felt her jaw drop when she recognized Al in the center of the group. He was strolling in confidently, grinning and waving, eventually spotting Lucy and winking. The rest of the foreing students looked less sure than Al – Lucy thought they mainly looked cold, staring around with apprehension. The only figure who shared Al's swagger and excitement was a tall man with a dark, neat beard striding confidently at the front. When they reached the staff table, Flitwick resumed.

"In this spirit, our select group of thirty of Southwestern's best and brightest will be taking part in Hogwarts curriculum for the year, while all the Hogwarts students will take part in a compulsory new course taught by Southwestern's own talented Professor Alexander Thresher." Flitwick indicated the tall bearded man, who smiled and gave a little bow.

"If all goes well, next year Hogwarts will in turn send its own delegation all the way to America. For now, please show our guests Hogwarts' hospitality, and let us all enjoy the feast!"

As Flitwick sat back down, the Great Hall erupted with excited babble. Many students eyed the Americans hopefully, willing them to choose their respective tables for the meal. Lucy, Stella, and Lorcan just stared at each other. James and Lily had wasted no time in jumping up and running to their brother, with James proceeding to put him in a painful-looking headlock (much to the alarm of the surrounding Americans).

Lucy jumped up eagerly as Al extricated himself from his brother's grip and bounded towards the Hufflepuff table, wrapping her in a strangling hug. "Lucy my girl, how the bloody hell are you? I trust you've been keeping James in line."

"I'd need a swat team to do that" Lucy harrumphed as James gave her his best big innocent eyes from over Al's shoulder.

Al released Lucy and was immediately nearly toppled by Roxy, who crashed straight into him at a full sprint from the Gryffindor table. Lucy looked past the file of flailing limbs and disconcertedly realized a tall dark someone was studying her seriously. The lanky boy hovering awkwardly next to James had longish, sleek black hair and skin the color of clay. He realized Lucy was looking back and shuffled uncomfortably.

"Oh sorry mate! Everyone, this is my friend Etz from New Mexico. He's my roommate at Southwest." Al grinned at them and clapped his friend on the back. "Come on Etz, we'll be Hufflepuffs for the night."

"That's an interesting name, is it short for something?" asked Stella once they were all comfortably seated at the table (Al had unceremoniously relocated the staring twins). Etz looked down from contemplating the enchanted ceiling. "Uh, yeah. For Etzua'a. It's a Paiute name. Native American," He added, smiling, seeing Stella's confused look. Al then launched into a long, debauched story about his and Etz's first bonding experience as roommates, one that involved more than a little tequila and several armadillos.

"And they have these ridiculous big electric wands they prod you with to see through your clothes!" It was pudding, and Al had progressed to telling them about their treacherous journey to Scotland on a muggle airplane. As Stella began patiently explaining the finer points of airport protocol, Lucy wondered at how quiet Etz had been through the whole meal. Then she noticed that the pile of cauldron cakes Al was working his way through seemed to be slowly transforming into cockroach clusters. She watched, transfixed, as one cauldron cake inched itself off Al's plate, with one of the deceptive clusters scuttling in to take its place. Al didn't seem to notice, absorbed in conversation as he stuffed a cluster into his mouth. Lucy looked at Etz, whose eyes were fixed unblinkingly on the shuffling candies and whose arm seemed to move slightly under the table. He glanced up at Lucy and winked, while Al suddenly made sputtering and retching noises next to him.

Once the piles of desserts had disappeared from the tables and the plates gleamed brand new again, Flitwick merrily dismissed them all to their common rooms. They all stood up to leave except Stella, who gazed dreamily across to the Ravenclaw table. Lorcan poked her timidly. "Erm, Stell? Aren't you supposed to be leading the first years to the common room?"

"Hm? Oh, yes, I suppose," replied Stella, reluctantly tearing her eyes away from Dominique, who was chatting animatedly to a handsome, entranced-looking American student.

Lucy rolled her eyes and hoisted Stella up by her robes, shouting down the table, "Oi, first years! Follow this twit!" Though she herself found Dominique a bit trying, Stella had had been head-over-heels for her ever since third year.

Lucy, Lorcan, and Stella said goodnight to Al and Etz, who followed the rest of the Southwest students to the wing of the castle specially furnished for their visit. The three descended the stairs that led to the Hufflepuff common room, joined by Stella's fellow prefect, Ross McClaggen. The small huddle of first years trailed behind them, like particularly anxious ducklings.

They had almost reached the common room when they turned a corner to find an irritated looking James and a forlorn Teddy engaged in what looked like a very serious discussion at the end of the corridor. They both started and silenced at the Hufflepuffs' appearance. Teddy nodded and smiled awkwardly at them before walking quickly back down the passageway without a second glance at James. James glowered after him, but when Lucy caught his eye he just smiled forcedly and gave a half-hearted wave, then walked back the way they came, away from Teddy.

Lucy exchanged questioning looks with Lorcan and Stella, who both shrugged. One night back and Hogwarts already felt like it'd been turned on its head. And everyone thought this year would be so much calmer now that Fred wasn't around to help enable James' brand of chaos. All in all, Lucy was relieved to finally find herself in the bright warmth of the Hufflepuff common room, happily anticipating her old four-poster. For the first time since arriving she really felt like this was it, she was back home.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Mongolian Shaman-Pirates and a Capybara

"You're keeping on with divination?" Lorcan didn't try to hide the shock and consternation in his voice. "But I thought Firenze hated you after the incident with the capybara."

They were sitting at the Hufflepuff table for breakfast on the first day of term. Roxy had already received her schedule from Professor Longbottom and had come over to Hufflepuff to compare.

"His classroom was the closest to its natural habitat." Roxy buttered her toast sedately. "I could not have known how aggressive capybaras are towards larger quadrupeds."

"Well, to be fair, if Roxy stopped taking classes from every teacher who strongly disliked her, she would have a very empty schedule indeed," interjected Lucy reasonably. Roxy pulled a face and started to reply, "Just because I am lively…" when Professor Arterton, head of Hufflepuff, approached to give them their new schedules. Once Arterton had approved all their course choices they hastily began comparing.

"Oh look, we've got the new American guy together this morning!" Roxy exclaimed. "And Teddy this afternoon."

The four stood up to leave, Lorcan snagging a stash of toast to last them the morning lesson. Almost out of the great hall they spotted Teddy hovering near the door. Roxy had just stopped to wish him good luck when Dominique appeared through the doors and Teddy jumped guiltily at the flash of silver-blonde hair. Dominique rolled her eyes. "Jesus, Teddy, I'm not my sister, chill your nifflers. Though I do have something for you." Dominique rummaged in her rucksack and pulled out a crumpled paper bag. "Victoire says she wants your gross muggle band t-shirts out of her flat." She thrust the bag in his hands and flounced into breakfast.

Teddy grimaced and held the bag gingerly, as if it was someone else's dirty clothes, rather than his own. Teddy and Victoire's on-again, off-again relationship had always been turbulent, but lately it seemed positively category 5 hurricane.

"Welp, on that note, good luck today! We'll see you this afternoon!" Roxy clapped him on the shoulder and they left him staring anxiously into space.

The class taught by the American professor was to take place in an unused classroom on the fourth floor. On their schedules it was labelled 'Contemporary International Wizarding Practice and Policy". Lucy commented that it sounded particularly essay-heavy, with just a tad too much relish in her voice. Lucy and Lorcan loved classes like history of magic, with lots of reading and less danger of accidentally transforming your own foot (though Lucy liked to assert that this had happened only once, and her foot _had _made a fairly attractive flower pot, at least). Roxy much preferred classes where you got to actually do things - her attention span wasn't suited to long nights in the library. Stella, irritatingly, was just good at everything and liked everything just fine. When they reached the classroom they found the rest of the 6th year Hufflepuffs and Gryffindors queuing outside the door, most babbling excitedly about the new lesson. Suddenly the door flung open and Professor Fletcher looked around at them impressively. Roxy wondered if he used a ruler to keep his beard trimmed so straight across his face, perfectly underscoring his very sharp cheekbones. _Hmm. Old, _Roxy thought, _but still, hotter than professor Leonard._

Without speaking Fletcher waved them through the door grandly. Once they'd all found seats, Fletcher perched himself casually atop his desk and began to speak.

"What's up, class? As you heard last night I'll be teaching you an introductory course on international wizarding practice and policy. Partially due to the International Statute of Secrecy and longstanding wizarding culture, wizards across the globe have tended to remain woefully ignorant of the incredible diversity of international wizarding communities. This has had consequences large and small, ranging from botched or stalled international policy-making to the occasional magical tourist ending up in a very sticky situation indeed. So, at the very least, this course may prevent you from being thrown overboard for saying the wrong thing to a Mongolian shaman-pirate while sailing in the Sea of Dkhotsk."

Roxy exchanged glances with her three friends down the table. "Shaman-pirates?" mouthed Lorcan with raised eyebrows. Lucy shrugged.

"So. Let's dive straight in." Fletcher hopped nimbly off his desk and strode to a cabinet, pulling out several stacks of dark brown, leather-bound books. "Here are your textbooks. Open to page 6, today we're gonna start with a quick overview then have a look at the origins and contemporary practice of modern American Hoodoo."

It was the most exciting non-practical lesson they had ever had. Normally Roxy associated textbook-heavy classes with the somnambulant lectures of Professor Binns, but Fletcher couldn't be more opposite. His excitement about the subject was infectious as he bounded about the room, asking questions and interjecting the lecture with his own wild stories about magical encounters across the globe.

The four friends chatted happily about the lesson on their way to lunch. "The way he talked about negotiating between that root doctor and that vampire in New Orleans, like it was no big deal!" Stella's eyes shone with admiration.

Lorcan looked less than impressed. "I dunno, didn't you think he seemed a little… up himself?"

"Well I think he's _fine,_" said Roxy, giving her best deep-south American accent.

At this Lorcan remembered that he had to owl his mother and dashed off, seemingly relieved to be escaping the conversation.

Lucy snorted. "Well, Rox, we all know your history with authority figures. I'm surprised you haven't tried to snog Flitwick."

Roxy was eager to veer the subject matter away from her past indiscretions. "What about that brooding friend of Al's from your table last night, hmm? We all know your type, Lucy. All glowering Heathcliff wannabe, with a dour yet soulful Victorian expression, and super skinny, like maybe he's got consumption…"

"So what if I prefer byronic heroes to dumb quidditch jocks?" Lucy prodded Roxy in the ribs before sitting down for lunch. "Unlike _some _people I know, miss 'I'm just going to casually stand around outside the Slytherin changing rooms, Oh sorry Flint I didn't realize you were in there, well aren't you looking dashing today, look I made some green and silver cupcakes especially for you, gluten free just like you-' " Roxy stuffed half a chicken sandwich in Lucy's mouth to silence her dangerously rambling train of thought.

After lunch the three headed back upstairs, eagerly anticipating Teddy's lesson. Lucy shook her head. "I think it's gonna be weird. How're we supposed to call him 'Professor Lupin' when we've known him our whole lives?"

"I don't know, he's got a certain professorial gravitas," Stella said fairly.

"You haven't seen him in Doctor Who pajamas like I have." Lucy made a face.

Roxy's eyes lit up. "All I know is, if he ever tries to give me a low mark I'll tell Uncle Harry about the time in first year he bribed us not to tell our parents about the gnome incid-"

Roxy's words died on her lips as they turned onto a large corridor on the third floor. In the middle of it lay an ominous pile of damp-looking fur. As they timidly drew closer, Stella let out a choked gasp. The pile was barely recognizable as Hagrid's beloved boarhound puppy, Duncan. His body was bloody and broken, and he was very clearly dead.

"Wait. What's that?" Stella's voice trembled as she pointed at the wall behind Duncan. Close to the floor was a tight, stylistic script with organic decorative motifs furling out of the letters, reaching across the wall in creeping, plant-like tendrils. The words read: _Things fall apart. The centre cannot hold._

**Author's Note:**

"Things fall apart, the centre cannot hold" is a line from W.B. Yeats' 1919 poem _The Second Coming. _It's great, you should read it :)


	5. Chapter 5: Bludgers and a Porlock

Chapter 5: Bludgers and a Porlock.

"I heard someone saw a basilisk running away from the scene of the crime!"

"Don't be a ninny, basilisks can't run!"

Stella rolled her eyes at the chatter of their fellow sixth years. They were sitting in Teddy's brand new transfiguration classroom, but Teddy hadn't yet arrived and it didn't look like the lesson was going to start any time soon. Transfiguration had been notoriously difficult under McGonagall and Teddy's N.E.W.T. sixth-year class was small, but by the sound of their loud gossiping they might as well have been sixty excitable first years. As it was Hogwarts, the news of the brutal murder of Hagrid's puppy had spread through the whole school before lunch was even over.

Upon discovering the body Stella had gone to get Professor Flitwick, and after answering some questions, the three were sent to Transfiguration.

"No but really, it's got to be the Chamber of Secrets! My dad told me last time it was opened messages were left like that on the wall. In _blood._" Ross McClaggen was gushing theories impressively to Madeline Boot, who looked terrified.

Lucy threw her arms up in despair. "Has no one in the school even _heard _of W.B. Yeats?"

Nearly everyone in the room stared at her blankly, though Scorpius smiled at his desk.

Lucy rolled her eyes. "That line was from a poem called _The Second Coming _by Yeats. It's a really famous poem in muggle literature. Why on Earth would the heir of Slytherin be quoting _muggle poetry?_"

At this the classroom door opened and Teddy walked in. He stopped short, seeing the whole class staring at Lucy, and seemed to suppress a smile.

"Alright, class? Sorry I'm late. Let's get - er, yes, Rose?"

Rose's hand had shot straight into the air.

"Te-I mean, Professor Lupin, what's going on? What happened to Hagrid's dog?"

"Look, Rose, no one's sure of anything yet, I don't think -" He paused as five more hands shot into the air.

"Professor, is Hagrid okay?"

"Is it true it was a band of grindylows?"

"I heard the house elves are in blood-thirsty rebellion!"

Teddy sank onto his desk and ran a hand through his dark brown hair, brows creasing.

"Okay. You guys have a right to know, and the truth is obviously probably not as bad as what some of you lot will make up anyway." At this he glared at McClaggen, who had supplied the house-elves comment.

"All we know is whatever attacked Duncan was some kind of magical beast, definitely not human. But Hagrid says the teethmarks were unrecognizable, nothing he'd ever seen before." The class shuddered collectively at the words 'teethmarks'. "Right, I think we'd better get started. Malfoy, please come hand out these cacti."

Teddy proved to be a very good teacher. By the end of the lesson, all of them had managed to transfigure their cacti into throw pillows. Roxy still watched Rose rather dourly, as she proudly showed her intricately patterned, blue and gold cushion to her Ravenclaw friends. Her own pillow still had spikes on it.

The next several weeks passed without incident, though the dead dog was still fresh in everyone's minds. Sixth year proved immediately strenuously difficult, and even Al could be seen buckling down in the library. James on the other hand, despite being in his final year with N.E. to sit, seemed as blithely unaware of the library's existence as ever. Thus, when on a Friday morning James approached the friends' table behind the History of Magic section, Lucy gave a start of surprise.

"James, are you… lost?"

James tried to look offended. "I have been here before, little cousin - you know, by accident, or sometimes it makes a great hiding place if girls are looking for you… last place they'd think to look, see?" Roxy looked up from her Transfiguration essay only long enough to give James a withering look.

"No." James continued, suddenly becoming very serious. "I am here with a very purposeful purpose." He slammed his fists on the table, causing Lorcan and Stella to jump in unison. "Quidditch try-outs!" he barked, staring down Roxy with a manic gleam in his eye. Roxy groaned.

"Tomorrow! Ten a.m.! We've got to replace Fred, Molly, and Colin. I need my seeker there." James turned on his heel and strode out.

Roxy slumped down in her seat while Stella patted her arm pityingly. She was quickly realizing having James as quidditch captain was going to be like being captained by the deranged, monomaniacal love-child of Willy Wonka and the Terminator. Probably with more bloodshed and shouting.

The next morning Roxy trudged down to breakfast with an equally apprehensive Lily, who played keeper for the Gryffindor team. Lucy and Lorcan met them in the great hall, tagging along for moral support. Stella had begged off, instead holing herself up in the library with an Arithmancy essay.

After walking down together in sleepy silence, Lucy and Lorcan bade the teammates goodbye and went to sit in the stands. The existing Gryffindor quidditch team was soon gathered on the pitch, including Mulciber, whom Roxy loftily ignored. They all looked fairly grumpy except James, whose whole frame seemed to pulse with nervous intensity.

As James open his mouth to speak, he caught sight of Teddy, Al, and Rose approaching from the castle, and paused.

"Alright? We thought we'd come lend a hand with the tryouts. You know, figured a brand new captain could our expertise." Al waggled his eyebrows in a mock-superior manor as he strode up to the group.

"Aw thanks Al, I'll get in touch when I need someone to show me how to captain my team to bottom place," James scoffed.

Rose hurriedly intervened. "Well Teddy was captain of Gryffindor for two years, weren't you, Ted? Sure _he _could give you some pointers, James." As she spoke she looped her arm through Teddy's and smiled up at him. This only made James scowl deeply. Roxy rolled her eyes. She knew Rose didn't give a rat's arse about quidditch, but she definitely gave multiple rat's arses about Teddy.

Al started to say something cutting in response to James but Lily cut in. "Okay boys, this is cute but let's get to try-outs shall we?" She fingered her wand dangerously. Everyone shifted uncomfortably and James quickly nodded. Despite being a diminutive fourth year, everyone knew Lily had inherited her mother's skill at bat-bogey hexes.

James abruptly turned to the motley crowd of eager new recruits who had assembled hesitantly at the side of the pitch.

"Right, you lot," he immediately began shouting, "So, you think you're good enough to join the elite? You think you can fly fast, think faster, and win the game or die trying? 'Cause if you thought this was about a _game, _you were dead wrong. This is LIFE and DEATH, boys." At this Roxy prodded him with her broomstick. "And girls," he added hastily. "Point is, you gotta go for the gold. Roll with the punches. Eat SLYTHERIN for BREAKFAST."

Roxy sighed and stopped listening as the string of trite sports metaphors rolled on, instead watching a few terrified first years sprint off the field. It was going to be a long day.

As angst-ridden and dramatic as the team seemed to find the try-outs, they were less absorbing for those on the sidelines. Lorcan politely paid attention for the first several minutes, then subtly tucked into _David Copperfield. _Lucy's transfiguration notes were splayed across her lap but her eyes soon strayed across the grounds. Hagrid's hut looked deeply inviting, with smoke curling out of the chimney. But just beyond it, Lucy saw a more unexpected sight: Al's friend Etz was lurking shiftily at the edge of the forest. Lucy knew that her father's genes should be telling her to go inform him of school rules regarding the forest, but she'd always taken more after Uncle George anyway. He kept glancing around him carefully and examining something on the ground with a brow Lucy could only describe as 'furrowed', and this behavior begged to be investigated. She started to make an excuse to Lorcan before realizing he was too engrossed to notice her absence, then hastily and quietly exited the stands. She heard Al yell exasperatedly that beaters bats were for bludgers ONLY, and figured she wouldn't be missed. As she approached the lone figure she began to feel a little nervous. Was it weird to ask near-strangers why they were lurking? What if he thought she was some sort of school loitering police? Lucy Weasley, aspiring traffic cop, did not have the air of mystery or je ne sais quoi she would have preferred. This tangent began to spiral out of control, ending with her dying, friendless and alone, after becoming an outcast muggle mall cop, and possibly also a hoarder. _Stop, brain. Control yourself. _Her thoughts were mercifully cut short when Etz glanced up and shuffled awkwardly.

"Oh, hello Lucy. How're you?" He looked nervous and distracted, obviously concerned about something and wishing he didn't have to make conversation.

"Hi, Etz. Erm, nice day for…oh, is that a footprint?" She was relieved she'd spotted what Etz had been staring at on the ground, for she'd had no idea where she'd been going with that sentence. Somehow '_nice day for lurking suspiciously' _didn't seem like the best opener.

Etz looked back down at the damp earth, which was stamped with a deep, thin mark with four even deeper, claw-like gouges at the end of it. His furrowed brow returned. Lucy decided it suited him. He looked at her without responding for a couple seconds, then said "You'd probably better get back to the pitch."

_Not likely, now you've said that, _thought Lucy. "Why?"

"Because I am going to go into the forest and I don't want you to feel like you need to tell your prefect cousins," Etz responded flatly.

Lucy made a face. "I'm a Hufflepuff. We don't rat. I'll come with you."

Etz hesitated, looking at her hard, then said "You're Al's favorite cousin, aren't you? He talks about you a lot."

"Really? Al said that?" Lucy beamed.

"I wasn't trying to complement you, I'm just worrying about how bad he's gonna beat me up when I get you killed," he said grumpily as he began trudging into the forest. "But he says you're obstinate as hell and I can't be bothered with an argument."

"Yep, that's me!" Lucy replied cheerily, following him. She sobered quickly as she looked around her for more footprints. "Do you think this is what killed Duncan?" She felt squeamish again at the thought of what had remained of the puppy.

"Possibly." Etz didn't look up as he picked his way carefully across the ground. "Let's find another one."

"Shouldn't we ask Hagrid? I mean he'll probably know what the print's from."

Etz stopped, looked up at her and said seriously, "Lucy, I don't think this thing's local."

_Dude's definitely got a flair for the dramatic, _Lucy thought, but before she could respond with a quip Etz stopped. "Here's another one. It looks…" But his voice trailed off, and Lucy stepped forward to see what he was examining. A deeper, fresher-looking print dented the ground. Embeded into one of the toe-marks was something yellowing, jagged, and decidedly blood-stained. "Is that…"

"Toenail.' Etz interrupted Lucy as he bent down and swiped up the object with one hand, pocketing it. His face was inscrutable.

Lucy's stomach churned and she was all of a sudden uncomfortably aware of how far into the forest they had already journeyed. Despite this she continued to follow Etz, examining the ground around her for more clues.

After a bit more walking she stopped short at a flutterby bush. "Um, Etz?" Lucy began, voice faltering, "I think this might be… blood?" Several of the leaves on the bush were flecked with an unmistakable dark, sticky substance. Etz swore under his breath and started scanning the ground for more signs of it.

"This way," he said, and started walking quickly in a direction Lucy realized with consternation was even further off the path, into the dense forest depths. Curiosity won out and she dived after him.

The dollops of blood along the forest floor seemed to get thicker and more frequent until suddenly Etz stopped short, Lucy banging into him. Etz had gone very still and grabbed Lucy's arm painfully tightly, forcing her to stop moving. She peered around him and, with horror, saw a bloody half-devoured corpse of something that seemed once to have been a small mammal. She heard something large rustling and caught a glimpse of huge yellow eyes before Etz turned around and shoved her back the way they came, hissing "Run!"

Lucy dashed blindly forward, tripping over roots and feeling branches tug at her robes. Crashing noises behind her signaled Etz's close pursuit. They continued to stumble through the forest, but after several minutes the sounds of tripping behind her were replaced with a loud yelp.

Lucy's heart stopped. She turned around, expecting to see Etz being devoured by a large yellow-eyed monster, but instead found herself inches from his upside-down face, which was quickly turning a deep shade of beetroot. "Little help?" he said in a strangled voice. Lucy looked up and saw he was suspended by one leg from a writhing and menacing-looking branch. The tree to which it was connected looked gnarled and particularly carnivorous, with a large dark opening lined with sharp, teeth-like bark towards the center of it's trunk.

Lucy fumbled in her robes for her wand, pulled it out and pointed it at the branch holding Etz's ankle, shouting "Relashio!" This only seemed to anger it, as the branches trembled violently and the roots under Lucy's feet dragged themselves out of the ground, grasping at her ankles.

"Okay! Okay!" Lucy struggled to think while hopping from foot to foot. Etz fruitlessly kicked about, trying not to be shoved into the tree's gaping mouth.

"Incendio!" shouted Lucy, pointed at the branch. Etz cried out as the branch dropped him to the ground, now consumed in flames.

"Fuck, Lucy, you're gonna start a forest fire!" yelled Etz, struggled up.

"No 'thanks for saving my life'?" shouted back Lucy as they both began shooting spurts of water from their wands at the tree, struggling to quench the fire. They finally tamed the flames, leaving the tree damp, smoking, and stirring feebly. They hurried away before it decided to take another swipe at them.

"Just my luck, to anger a tree while making an escape from a crazy carnivorous beast," said Etz sourly, knocking into a large branch with his shoulder then glancing fearfully at it.

"I think that was a Live Oak," said Lucy thoughtfully. "A real one, not the rubbish ones muggles talk about. Do you think we shook that creature?"

"I expect it ran off," Etz replied moodily.

"What _was _it? We need to tell Hagrid. What had it killed?"

Etz was quiet for a moment. "It was a porlock, a baby one I think. We've got some at school."

They were near the edge of the forest now. Etz stopped and looked at Lucy. "Let's not tell Hagrid, just yet. I think… I want to find out a bit more information first." He looked so intense Lucy didn't dare argue. This guy was possibly seriously nuts, no matter how nice he looked when he brooded.

They started walking again and his expression softened. "Thanks, though - for stopping that tree thing back there. I owe you one." He smiled, and his eyes crinkled at the edges. Lucy felt her face flush a bit. _Oh Lordy get a grip, _she thought. "No biggie. consider it a 'Welcome to Hogwarts' experience. Everyone has to have a run with violent vegetation and a life-or-death bonding experience by fourth year or you're not really living, are you?"

Etz raised his eyebrows. "At Southwest we mainly drink bad tequila and shoot coke cans with muggle shot guns for fun."

Lucy was about to respond that she liked her way better when she heard her name. Al was striding towards them, away from the tryouts just breaking up. Lucy was glad Rose was too distracted hovering around James and Teddy to notice her obvious rule-breaking. Al's eyes swept up and down the two of them, taking in their bedraggled and mud-stained state. He glared. "Why were you in the forest? Lucy, why did you go with him?" Lucy was a bit taken aback, as Al had always been a bit more akin to his older brother in his flexible attitude towards rule breaking. She and Etz looked guiltily at each other then began casually walking back towards the pitch.

Lucy began to say, "We were just following-"

"-An interesting type of porlock." Etz cut across her without meeting her eye. Lucy shrugged internally. If you counted following its blood, and "torn to bits" as 'an interesting type'. Al's eye's narrowed, but they were saved from any further questioning by coming upon James on the pitch, was was looking after the retreating Rose and Teddy with a cloudy expression.

"James, what's on your mind?" said Lucy, eager to distract Al.

"What? Oh, nothing." His face broke into an easy grin as he took in Lucy and Etz's appearances, then casually began picking twigs out of Lucy's dark hair. The forest had transformed it into something resembling the home of a vole with a hoarding problem and an aggressive streak."Were you two off snogging in the forest or something?" James asked casually.

Etz started coughing loudly. It sounded to Lucy as if he'd choked on his own tongue. Al was giving Etz a look that could make a basilisk run crying.

"Honestly Al, take a joke," said Lucy breezily. "Hey, where'd Lorcan go?" Lucy looked up at the empty stands.

"He left not that long after you did," James offered, pulling the last leaf out of Lucy's hair. _Weird, _Lucy thought. Normally, once he became absorbed in a book he had to be physically removed from the spot. She grabbed her bag from the stands and they all headed in to lunch.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 7: The Hippogriff and the Charcoal Drawing.

Lucy found herself incredibly distracted for the next several days, having been left with lots of questions and absolutely no satisfying answers after the mysterious trip into the forest. That day Etz had complained of a headache and left lunch early. Lucy had made her own excuses and dashed after him, leaving Al glowering after her. She had caught up with Etz just past the staircase and stopped him.

"Hey, can we talk a second? What was that? And why is Al so mad at you?"

Etz sighed and slumped against the stone wall. "I don't know about the thing. I think - I wanna check out some stuff. As for Al, well, he's just - it sounds stupid, but… I'm a little dangerous." Lucy snorted loudly. "Not, not in like a James Dean, bad-boy, cool way," he said quickly, blushing. "But… I guess you could say I'm unlucky, and maybe a tad disaster-prone. Al's been my friend long enough to know that I attract trouble in a big way and he probably just didn't want me dragging you into it. So I'll try not to, even though you've proven yourself useful enough to keep around." He smiled and winked at her before turning and heading off down the hallway.

So now Lucy was left pondering, mainly during History of Magic, what exactly the creature had been, and why Etz was behaving so mysteriously about it. The school was still buzzing about what had happened to Duncan, and it was all Lucy could do not to contribute her own secret knowledge to the Hufflepuff table discussions.

"Bertie Stanton swore he saw a rabid hipogriff from the astronomy tower!" third year Graham Thomas told the rest of the table excitedly one day in October. Roxy rolled her eyes. "One, Graham, how would a rabid hipogriff get in the school? Two, how could Bertie have known it was rabid? Three, shut up." Bertie looked taken aback. Stella sympathetically handed him a piece of toast and patted him on the back. "Wow Rox, harsh today. Anyone seen Lorcan?"

Lucy looked around. Lorcan had been noticeably absent lately, and even more subdued than usual when he was around. Even better at the disappearing act was Etz, who Lucy hadn't seen since their interview after the forest. Lucy was interrupted in her scanning of the great hall by Al, who sauntered up and plopped down next to Stella, giving her his most winning smile. "Alright, Stell? Wanna see a magic trick?"

Lucy rolled her eyes. As many times as she'd tried to explain that Stella only had eyes for Dominique (and that Al was about as far from Dominique as one could get), he wouldn't be deterred. Stella smiled but Lucy cut in. "Al, where's Etz?" Al looked up at her slightly suspiciously and said, "He had to go back to Southwest for a little bit. Said something about independent research."

Lucy sighed. Her own independent research had been fruitless, as she didn't have nearly enough information to narrow down from the hordes of dangerous beasts discussed in the many books she'd found in the library.

Roxy elbowed her in the ribs and grinned mischievously. "Heartsick?"

"Hardly," countered Lucy. "More like sick of his bloody professor. Wish Thresher would bugger off back to America with him, and I wouldn't have to finish this massive essay." Thresher's class had proved even more difficult than anyone had been expecting, though Lucy actually found it all really interesting, and moaned mainly for something to moan about.

"You don't really mean that," teased Roxy. "I know you keep that homework assignment with his glowing note on it under your pillow."

"Oh yeah? Well you talk about Flitwick in your sleep. Sexy things. Not for young ears," Lucy said around a mouthful of sausage.

The bickering escalated until bits of toast were being thrown violently through the air. Stella cast a shield charm between the two of them without looking up from her Daily Prophet.

Eventually the two cousins calmed down and the four got up, Stella and Lucy headed to Ancient Runes, and Roxy and Al going down to Herbology. Roxy and Al bade the others goodbye and went out onto the grounds. As Lucy and Stella started up the stairs they saw a very bored-looking Dominique being talked at by fellow Ravenclaw Cain Zabini. She spotted them and a relieved look crossed her face. "Mmhmm, okay, well I'll see you at practice Cain!" She quickly shut down Cain and joined them in walking up to classes.

"Thank-God. What a boy doesn't understand 'uninterested'."

Lucy grinned at her cousin. "What, not interested in Playboy Zabini? I hear he's _almost _as smart as he says he is. And _almost _as rich."

Dominique snorted. "I'd rather date a grindylow. Ughh, and now I have to go to Transfiguration and give Teddy more of my sister's missives. I wish she'd just take care of her own crap like a normal person. I'm not a bloody barn owl."

"So I take it Victoire and Teddy haven't made up yet?"

"Not likely. I was home last weekend taking care of Grandpere while Mum was away and Victoire was there. Teddy dropped by to talk to Victoire and drop off some of her stuff. Obviously, I went and watched." Catching sight of Lucy's raised eyebrows, Dominique tossed her hair and made a dismissive noise. "What? I was just making sure they didn't kill each other, a public service if you will. Plus, much more interesting than listening to Grandpere reminisce about goblin rebellions or whatever. Anyway, it was way weird. Victoire was just all icy and distant and Teddy didn't seem like he even noticed. Then finally she just cracked and started shouting at him, all about what a bad boyfriend he had been, how he wouldn't communicate and didn't pay enough attention, he didn't notice anything, all this rubbish." Dominique let out a sigh then continued. "And he just stood there. And I mean I've seen them fight before, normally he just yells straight back. But not this time. He just looked so _sad. _And sort of guilty, and like, resigned." Dominique shrugged and popped some Drooble's gum in her mouth. "I think it's over for good," she said between chews. "I just wish they'd sort it out already, it's super annoying. Right, headed this way, see ya!" With that Dominique waved and turned down a corridor towards Transfiguration.

Lucy sighed. "Very sensitive to others, your future wife, Stell. For the record, I think actually talking when she's around might help move your relationship forward a tinsy bit."

Stella shrugged and grinned. "At least I know if we ever break up she'll be quick about it, no-nonsense. And I did nod a lot while she talked?"

"Yep, you'll be engaged by next week, I reckon."

The strong, cold breeze whipped Roxy's dark curls inconveniently across her face as she and Al headed across the grounds to the greenhouses. Roxy narrowed her eyes: she could feel winter about to hit Scotland like a frozen brick wall, and she was not happy about it. Al, on the other hand, took a nice deep whiff and began waxing lyrical about the start of quidditch season.

Thankfully they were soon caught up by a large group of Al's American classmates. As the sixth year herbology class was too large with the added Americans, half the Southwest students were put with the Gryffindors and the Slytherins, while the rest went with Hufflepuffs and Ravenclaws the following morning.

The group arrived at Greenhouse 3 fairly early, but Roxy was surprised to spot a figure already inside. Scorpius Malfoy sat hunched over a row of delicate, colorful blossoms, and as he directed is wand the flowers twisted and wove together of their own accord. He jumped slightly at the sudden onslaught of loud American voices and looked across at Roxy. She smiled uncertainly at him and he nodded back, returning his gaze to the plants before him.

Eventually the greenhouse filled and Professor Longbottom arrived, waving genially at them all.

"Hello, class! Today we're going to be working on Vanishing Silver Maples, which are best practiced on out of doors. Let's go!" At this, Professor Longbottom turned on his heel and exited the greenhouse. The bewildered students gathered their things and piled through the greenhouse doors. The group followed the professor around the edge of the forest, where they saw a line of small leafy treees that seemed to glimmer at the edges. A brunette American let out an "Ooh!" and reached out to touch a sparkling leaf. Professor Longbottom's hand shot out and grabbed her wrist. "Don't." Roxy raised her eyebrows at Al. By sixth year any wizarding student should know not to touch a magical plant unless they know it won't fight back.

"Now, these plants are terribly fascinating because they have developed their own nique system of self-defence. They have for hundreds of years been highly prized for both their beauty and their priceless magical qualities, and because of this are also extremely coveted by wand makers. However, even harvesting the smallest amount of wood can cause irrevocable damage to the plant. Because of this, it has developed an incredible sensory response. When touched lightly, the entire tree will retreat into its extensive root system, where it will move through the earth and emerge a safe distance away. Like so." Neville reached out and lightly touched a shimmering leaf. In a moment the tree had seemed to fold up into itself, leaving nothing but a pile of earth. They all stared at the spot for several seconds before Al let out a yelp. The tree had shot up inches from his right foot, knocking him to the ground.

"Oh dear, yes they can be quite unpredictable," said Neville, suppressing a smile as Roxy struggled to help Al up between fits of laughter.

"Right, now there is one way that has been discovered to harvest from the trees without harming or startling the trees. Watch here." Professor Longbottom set about showing them how to carefully slice with the grain of the wood at a specific angle, taking care to only cut from certain, less sensitive spots. He then instructed them to gather three to a tree and try for themselves. Al and Roxy chose a tree close to the forest and Al beckoned Scorpius to join them. "Alright, mate?" Al smiled and said to Roxy, "Scorpius was the first person I met on the Hogwarts Express in first year, before I transferred. Obviously our budding friendship was cut to an abrupt and tragic end when he was sorted into Slytherin." Al pulled a mock-tortured face.

Scorpius gave a wry smile as he fished his silver knife out of his bag. "I seem to remember you begging me to get you into our common room, Al. Thought Slytherin was so _cool._"

Al wrinkled his nose. "Yes, well, we all have our dubious tastes in our youth. Right, lets crack this baby."

He moved towards the plant with over-exaggerated timid steps and, upon locating a safe spot, delicately placed his knife on the wood. The tree whipped out of sight and resurfaced five feet closer to the forest. Roxy looked around the class as Al let out an expletive. It looked to her as if no one else was having much luck either, and several others seemed to have been knocked down by the fast-moving trees.

"I think you held it at a bit of the wrong angle," she supplied, and strode confidently towards the tree. Herbology had always been one of her best subjects. She carefully located a small knot that indicated a place to cut, and tilted her knife to the perfect angle. But as she touched blade to wood an insect buzzed near her ear and she jerked, causing the tree to disappear, giving a rustling noise. "Blast!" The three looked around for their elusive tree. "I think it's there," said Scorpius, point to a sudden glimmering through the trees, just before the forest began to really thicken. "Think we're supposed to follow it in there?" Asked Al.

Roxy looked over at Professor Longbottom who was busy demonstrating to a group of Slytherins. She shrugged. "It's only a couple feet in," she said, and began walking. They caught up to their tree and finally were each able to harvest a small piece of shining silver bark.

They were about to walk back when Roxy spotted what looked like some parchment on the forest floor. "Hey did either of you lose – huh weird," Roxy said as she picked the paper up and unfolded it. It looked like half a burnt drawing, and the parts that didn't crumble at her touch showed a charcoal drawing of a strange-looking creature, with large, wide eyes and a long snout lined with very pointed teeth. Roxy glanced at Scorpius, who was giving the drawing an odd look. "Know what it is?"

His expression cleared and he shrugged at her.

"Not mine," supplied Al, not very interested. "Can we go to lunch yet?" I'm starved."

Roxy shoved the drawing into her robes and shrugged, following Al and Scorpius back out of the trees.


End file.
